Telescopic display rack



April 12, 1960 J. .1. JACOBSON TELESCOPIC DISPLAY RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 15, 1957 INVENTOR. l/kmes J dcaisan BY 2am ATTO RN E Y5 April 1960 J. J. JACOBSON 2,932,408

TELESCOPIC DISPLAY RACK Filed Dec. 13, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. J5me: LIL/5006.50

ATTORN E Y5 United States Patent Cr tic,

TELESCOPIC DISPLAY RACK James J. Jacobson, New. York, NY. Application December 13, 1957, Serial No. 702,638

' 4 Claims. cl. 211-134 This invention relates to a telescoping display rack.

According to the invention there is provided a novel display rack for packages and the like. The display rack comprises a display shelf having two shelf portions in sliding engagement for varying the overall length of the display rack. A restraining means is also provided for preventing the sliding movement between the shelf portions after the rack has been adjusted to a desired length. The restraining means also serves to support the center portion of the display rack to prevent sagging thereof, particularly when the rack is expanded at or near its maximum length. Accordingly, the display rack may be expanded or narrowed to adjust its capacity, to accommodate varying sizes of merchandise to be displayed, and to adjust the length to the restrictions of allocated display space.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to pro-' vide a new and novel telescoping display rack, the length of which may be readily expanded and reduced as may be required.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and novel telescoping display rack having means for maintaining a desired length, and which also supports the center portion of the display against sagging thereof.

' A still further object of the present invention is to pro.- vide a generally improved, simplified, and highly eificient telescoping display rack, and which may be adjusted to substantially any length within its maximum and minimum limits.

-. The-above and other objects, features andadvantages of the present invention will be more fully understood 2,932,408 Patented Apia 12, 1969'- surface 24 for displaying articles. The undersurfaces of rod 20 are secured, as by spot Welding or brazing, at their front extremities to a longitudinally extending rod 26. The back surfaces of the upper extremities of rods 20 are similarly secured to a longitudinally extending rod 28. This latter construction is best seen in Fig. 3.

Front and rear guide means 34 and 35 are provided to guide the telescoping movement of shelf portion 18.

Guide 34 comprises a longitudinally extending channel member mounted to-the top surface of rods 20 adjacent their forward extremities. Channel member 34 includes a leg 38 positioned on rods 20 and secured thereto, and a web 36 extending upwards therefrom. A second leg 40 extending inwardly from the upper edge of web 36 includes a depending portion 41 for forming a channel recess 42, best seen in Fig. 2. Guide 35 comprises a longitudinally extending angle member mounted to upper extremities of rods 26 opposite rod 28. Angle member or guide 35 includes a leg 44 secured to rods 20 and a leg 46 having a depending portion 47 forming a channel recess 48. Recess 48 is best illustrated in Fig. 2.

from the. following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

Referring now to the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the'invention:

' Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a preferred form of the display rack embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on a line 2--2 of Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear view, looking along the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2;

jLFig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on line 4--4.-of vFig.3; and v .-Fig.- .5 is an exploded view of the restraining means. =-Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a; telescoping display rack 10, for displaying articles, packages and the like. Display rack 10 compn'sesidentically constructed Shelves 12 and 14 spaced in vertical relation. For purposes of this application only one shelf will be discussed anddescribed in detail, it being understood the other is identically constructed. Upper shelf 14, for example, comprises two shelf portions 16 and 1 8 in slidable engagement.

Shelf portion 18 includesa plurality of transversely extending longitudinally spaced wire rods 2t). Wire'rods 20, are angularly or L-shaped to form a bottom supporting surface 22 and an upward extending rear supporting Shelf portion 18 further includes an end member 29 for attaching shelf portion 18 to a vertical support in a manner to be discussed hereinafter and for providing means for preventing articles from sliding oil the end of the shelf. End member 29 comprises a transversely extending angular-wire rod 30 shaped substantially as rods 20 and spaced longitudinally thereto. Attached to rod 30 is an inverted L-shaped rod 32. forming a railing for retaining articles on the shelf. Guide 34 and rod 26 are secured at their left extremity to the front end 31 of rod 30 and guide 35 and rod 28 are secured at their left extremit-y-to the upper end 33 of rod 30.

Finally, shelf portion 18 includes a longitudinally extending strip 37 for providing a sliding support surface used in a manner to be described hereinafter. Strip 37 is positioned to the rear of bottom support surface 22 adjacent to the bend in rods 20. The ends of strip 37 are bent around the extreme right and left wire rods 20, as shown at 39, to secure strip 37 to the bottom supporting surface 22.

Shelf portion 16 is constructed similarly to shelf portion 18. Shelf portion 16 includes transversely extending longitudinally spaced angular rods 50 forming a bottom support surface 52'and a rear support surface 54. The top surfaces of the front extremities of rod Silare secured to longitudinally extending rod 53 and the front surfaces of the upper extremities of rods 5! are secured to the longitudinally extending rod 55. The last-mentioned features of the construction are illustrated in Fig. 2.

Front and rear guide means 56 and 58 are provided to guide the telescoping movement of shelf portion 16, guide 56 comprising a longitudinally extentfing channel member mounted to the undersurfaces of rods 50 at their front extremities. Channel member 56 includes a leg-57 secured to the undersurfaces of rods 50 and a web 60 extending upwards therefrom. A second leg 62 of channel member 56 extends inwardly from the upper edge of Web 60, and includes adepending portion forming an exterior guide surface complementary to the interior surfaces of recess 42 of channel member 34. Guide 58 comprises a longitudinally extending angle member which includes a leg 64' extending downwardly from the upper extremities of rods 50 and secured to the back surfaces thereof. A second leg 66 extending inwardly from leg 64, extends over the upper extremities of rods 50 and includes a depending portion forming a complementary exterior guide surface to the interior surfaces of recess 48 in guide member 35. The remaining exterior surfaces of channels 56 and 5 8 are dimensioned to slidably engage the inside .surfaces of channels 34 and 35, respectively. 7

An end member 68 similar in construction to end member 29 on shelf portion 18 is provided at the right extremity of shelf portion 16. End member 68 includes a transversely extending angular wire rod 70 shaped substantially as rods 50 and spaced longitudinally thereto. Attached to rod 70 is an inverted L-shaped wire rod 72, forming a railing for retaining articles on the shelf. Guide 56 and rod 53 are secured at their right extremity to the front end of rod 70 and guide 58 and rod 55 are secured at their right extremity to their upper end of rod '70.

Vertical support members 76 and 78 are provided for mounting shelves 12 and 14 in spaced relation and for forming a supporting base for the display rack 10. -Vertical support 76 is a rectangular wire frame having opposing horizontal portions 80 and 82 and opposing upwardly extending vertical portions 84 and 86. Vertical support 78 is similarly constructed having opposing horizontal portions 88 and 90 and opposing upwardly extending vertical portions 92 and 94. The respective shelves 12 and 14 are attached as shown in Fig. 1 to the vertical support members by securing their respective end members 29 and 68 to the vertical portions of the vertical support members 76 and 78. Referring to Fig; l, by way of an example, of this feature of the construction it is seen that the front extremity of rod 30 of end member 29 is secured, as by welding or brazing, to upwardly extending rod 36, and the upper extremity of rod 30 is secured to upwardly extending rod 84. Rod 70 of end member 68 is similarly secured to the right vertical support member 78. Shelves 12 and 14 are mounted with a slight downward inclination towards the rear as best shown in Fig. 2. The inclination 'is desirable in that it presents a generally more attractive appearance and tends to display the merchandise stored thereon at a more favorable angle.

For the purposes of adjusting the length 'of display rack 10, shelf portions 16 and 18 are moved in relation to each other in a conventional telescoping action with shelf portion 16 moving over shelf portion 18.

As further represented in Fig. 1, the unsupported left and right ends of shelf portions 16 and 18 are in slidable engagement, with guide members 56 and 58 of shelf portions 16'inserted within guide members 34 and 35 of shelf portion 18. Additionally, as illustrated in Fig. 2 the bends in rods 50 are positioned on strip 37 in slidable contact therewith. In the manner, just described, a smooth sliding surface is provided at all points of contact between shelf portions 16 and 18. .The rods 20 and are thereby prevented from interlocking and interfering with the sliding movement of the shelf portions.

The display shelves 12 and 14 also include means for preventing the relative movement between shelf portions 16 and 18 for maintaining an adjusted length of display rack 10. This restraining means, as shown in Fig. 5, comprises an elongated angle 95, a pair of threaded studs 100 and wing nuts 108. Angle bar 95 includes two longitudinally spaced holes 96 and 98 in one leg thereof. Stud 100 comprises a head 104 having a rectangular washer 102 secured thereto, and a threaded body portion 106 adapted for receiving wing nuts 108. To restrain the relative movement between shelf portions 16 and 18, angle bar 95 is positioned about the bends in rods 20 and 50 with holes 96 and 98 in the upwardly extending leg as best shown in Fig. 2. The body portion 106 of studs 100 are inserted through the rear supporting surfaces of the respective shelf portions 16 and 18, and through holes 96 and 98. For purposes of illustration, the left stud 100 in Fig. 4 is seen to project through shelf portions 16 while the right stud 100 projects through both shelf portions 16 and 18. Clearly,

this situation is subject to change with each adjustment of display rack 10, and with each resulting change in the extent to which shelf portion 16 overlaps shelf portion 18. A wing nut 108 i's'threaded on each body 106 for engaging and securing washer 102 and angle bar'95 to the wire rods 20 or 50 straddling the body 106. To adjust the length of the display rack 10, the wing nuts 108 are removed from studs and the latter are withdrawn from the rear supporting surfaces and angle bar 95. Upon withdrawing studs 100, the shelf portions 16 and 18 are free to slide in relation to each other for establishing a new length. The new length is retained by restoring studs 100 and angle bar 95 to the condition previously described. It is clear that the display rack 10 may be adjusted to within one rod diameter of any desired length within its maximum and minimum limits.

When the merchandise to be displayed is loaded on shelves 12 and 14, the weight of the merchandise will tend to cause the center section of the shelves to sag. Normally sagging is preventing by the support provided the center section of the shelf by the engaged guide members 34 and 56 and angle bar 95. However, when shelves 12 and 14 are expanded near their maximum length, the guide means 34 and 56 thereon are virtually disengaged and can no longer provide the required support for the center section of said shelves. Under these conditions angle bar 95 on each shelf assumes the burden of supporting its respective shelf. As represented in Figs. 3 and 4, angle bar 95 is centrally positioned along the length of shelf 14 about the bends formed in rods 20 and 50. One end of angle bar 95 is secured to shelf portion 16 and the other to shelf-portion 18 for preventing the telescoping movement of the shelf portions 16 and 18. As seen in Figs. 3 and 4, angle bar 95 and the upwardly extending leg in particular, form a beam structure which prevents the center section of shelf 14 from sagging.

Means are also provided on display rack 10 for securing the display rack to a horizontal support surface, or to mount display rack 10 to a vertical surface. The former means comprises washers 110 and 112 secured to the horizontal portions 80 and 88 of the vertical support means 76 and 78, respectively. When display rack 10 is positioned on a horizontal surface a screw or other releasable fastener may be inserted in the holes of washers 110 and 112 for securing the display rack 10 to the horizontal surface. For mounting display rack 10 to a vertical surface, brackets 114 and 116 are included on display rack 10. Brackets 114 and 116 extend horizontally from the rear vertical supports 84 and 92, respectively. These brackets are adaptable for receiving hooks or other fastener means extending out- 'wardly' from a vertical mounting surface.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will'be understood that various changes may be made in the present invention without departing from the underlying idea or principles of the invention withinthe scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A telescoping display rack comprising, a display shelf, comprising a pair of shelf portions, each of said shelf portions having means in sliding engagement for varying the length of the rack, said shelf portion comprising transversely extending longitudinally spaced rods, means centrally positioned on said shelf for preventing relative movement in any direction between said shelf portions and for supporting the center portion of said shelf to prevent sagging thereof, said means including an angle and detachable fastener means, said fastener means projecting through the space between said rods and through said angle for releasably securing said angle to each of said shelf portions, and means fixed to said shelf portions for supporting the latter and thereby forming said display rack.

2. A telescoping display rack comprising, a display shelf comprising a pair of shelf portions, each of said shelf portions having means in sliding engagement for varying the length of the rack, said shelf portions having and rear supporting surfaces of one of said shelf por- I tions being adapted to be nested within the bottom and rear supporting sunfaces of the other of said shelf portions, an elongated angle member adaptable for being mounted contiguous with said bottom and rear supporting surfaces, and having two longitudinally spaced holes in one leg thereof, and separable fastener means projecting through a space between adjacent rods and through said holes, for releasably securing the rods to said angle member for locking against relative movement therebetween, and means fixed to said shelf portions for supporting the latter and thereby forming said display rack.

3. A telescoping display rack comprising, a display shelf comprising a pair of shelf portions, each of said shelf portions having means in sliding engagement for varying the length of the rack, said shelf portions having spaced transversely extending angle shaped wire rods for forming bottom and rear supporting surfaces, the bottom and rear supporting surfaces of one of said shelf portions being adapted to be nested within the bottom and rear supporting surfaces of the other of said shelf portions, an elongated angle member adaptable for being mounted contiguous with said bottom and rear supporting surfaces, and having two longitudinally spaced holes in one leg thereof, and separable fastener means projecting through a space between adjacent rods and through said holes, for releasably securing the rods to said angle member for locking said shelf portions against relative movement therebetween, said fastener means comprising a nut and a stud, said stud having a washer thereon for engaging said adjacent rods and a threaded body portion, adaptable for receiving said nut, said holes being disposed adjacent the rear supporting surface and said fastener means further projecting through said rear supporting surface for engaging said holes, and means fixed to said shelf portions for supporting the latter and thereby forming said display rack.

4. A telescoping display rack, comprising a pair of "shelf members, each of said shelf members comprising a plurality of spaced rods shaped to form approximately a right angle, and a member disposed between said telescoping shelves to provide a sliding support surface for said shelves, each of said shelf members having means engaged with the other of said shelf members for varying the size of said rack by moving one shelf member with respect to the other shelf member in telescoping relation, means for engaging each of said shelf members to releasably prevent telescoping movement of one shelf member with respect to the other, said engaging means being centrally located in said rack to provide a center support for said rack, and means fixed to said shelf portions for supporting the latter and thereby forming said display rack.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 573,835 Taylor Dec. 22, 1896 580,655 Thew Apr. 13, 1897 1,035,927 Watson Aug. 20, 1912 2,095,130 Gates Oct. 5, 1937 2,720,316 Glascott Oct. 11, 1955 2,789,700 King Apr. 23, 1957 2,802,576 Kelling Aug. 13, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 77,186 Norway July 24, 1950 

